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Media Business News and Trends

Springer announced the purchase of the Asia Europe Journal from The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), a long-time partner Springer. ASEF will no longer be associated with the journal, which will be relaunched with new editors-in-chief and refocused on its core topics. The journal will further promote discussion on the challenges and opportunities of a common future of Asia and Europe.

As part of its shift in strategy following its acquisition of the Huffington Post, AOL is closing several of its main content sites in the UK, according to a report by paidContent. The internet company plans to shut down operations for its AOL Music and FanHouse operations in the UK, following similar closures and consolidations in its US operations.

A study of 250 marketing decision makers in the U.K. conducted by EPiServer found that 68% of businesses have appointed or plan to appoint a social media or online community manager within the next year. The survey, titled "The rise of the community manager," found that 28% already employ a social media or community manager and another 41% expect to hire one in the next 12 months.

Amid a push to streamline operations, Research in Motion (RIM) plans to cut 2,000 of its 19,000 employees as part of a "cost optimization program." The layoffs accompany some shifts at the top of the workforce as well.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDAhas proposed guidelines that outline the mobile apps the agency plans to oversee-medical apps that could present a risk to patients if the apps don't work as intended. The proposed guidelines8 were posted on the Federal Register website Thursday, July 21, 2011.

Future Publishing, which publishers a variety of magazines such as T3, Total Film, and Guitar World, will be selling or closing several of its print titles and laying off 100 staff as part of a shift to focus primarily on digital publishing instead of print. According to a report in the Guardian, the titles being closed or sold include DVD & Blu-Ray Review, Home Cinema Choice, and Photoshop Focus Guides.

Corbis Images, a visual media provider for the creative community, announced its acquisition of Splash News for an undisclosed amount. The Los Angeles-based company provides candid celebrity photography and video content to entertainment print, online, and broadcast media outlets. Founded in 1990, Splash News has more than 3,000 active photographers worldwide in entertainment hubs throughout North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific.

TigerSpike, a provider of multi-platform personal media technology, closed an $11 million minority equity financing from Aegis Media. According to the company, the funding will help accelerate TigerSpike's future growth plans, as well as expand its product group and extend its reach into new markets. The company's personal media technology solutions help organizations build closer relationships with their content users.

Netflix Inc. announced that it is separating its unlimited streaming and unlimited DVD plans in the U.S., allowing customers to choose between a streaming-only plan, a DVD-only plan, or a combination of the two. The changes will be effective immediately for new Netflix members, while existing subscribers will be affected following September 1. The company stated that it is making the changes to reflect the true costs of each service.

Jason Heller, who co-founded and later sold Mass Transit Interactive, is launching AGILITI, a consultant group focused on digital marketing operations management. The firm plans to work with marketers to audit, review, and align digital marketing operations to build better relationships with digital agencies and maximize digital marketing investments.

American music enthusiasts can now use Spotify, a European digital music service - if they have an invite. After months of negotiating with record companies, the service is now available on a limited, invitation-only basis for free-or you can choose to pay-and provides mobile and offline access to music, and also makes it possible to share content.

Acquia, a provider of commercial solutions for Drupal, announced today that Twitter selected a Drupal-based community solution for its new Twitter developer website at dev.twitter.com. The site, which was developed with support and guidance from Acquia, launched July 11, 2011.

Econsultancy published a 60-page report that details best practices for using online video as a marketing tool, titled Online Video Best Practice Guide. Written by Staffan Aquarone, the report contains technical insights, tips, and case studies for marketers looking to use online video.

PriceGrabber, a part of Experian, released results from its recent Local Deals Survey which reveal that 59% of respondents plan to use daily deal websites for holiday or special occasion gift purchases this year. When asked which occasions they would be shopping for, 60% said Christmas or Hanukkah, 56% said a birthday, and 23% said an anniversary.

LivingSocial announced that it would celebrate the launch of LivingSocial Instant Deals in San Francisco on July 13 by offering diners $1 lunch. Instant Deals helps consumers find immediate deals at local restaurants and attractions. San Francisco is the third LivingSocial Instant Deals launch this year.

Social media analytics firm DataSift earned $6 million in a Series A round of funding led by IA Ventures and GRP Partners. DataSift says that the funds will be used to expand sales and marketing efforts, specifically in North America, where its real-time feed is in high demand. The U.K.-based company will also continue to develop its platform.

As the popularity of daily deal sites surges, Local.com Corp. acquired Screamin' Media Group, Inc., a firm that operates daily deals websites, including Screamin' Daily Deals, which launched in February 2010, and a related travel site. Screamin' Media generated $4.4 million in revenue during the first half of 2011.

Springer signed an agreement for a publishing partnership with Asia Briefing Ltd. for technical and business guides. Springer will take over the backlist of around 15 books from Asia Briefing, and reissue them in updated editions, as well as publish five new books each year. The books are written exclusively by legal, accounting, and auditing professionals at Dezan Shira & Associates.

A research report from Informa Telecoms & Media found that telecoms and pay TV operators will increasingly need to add new services such as Spotify and YouView to service bundles in order to retain subscribers and attract new customers. According to Informa, telecom and TV operators are not attracting significant enough numbers of first-time customers for their core services, encouraging them to add new services to their bundles to maintain existing subscription levels.

Access Intelligence, LLC, publisher of min and CableFAX Daily, acquired Cynopsis Media, a producer of daily and weekly e-letters for the television, digital media, kids marketing, and sports media markets. Cynopsis was founded by TV business veteran Cynthia Turner in 1997, and publishes the daily flagship Cynopsis, which covers the TV industry, as well as Cynopsis Digital, Cynopsis Kids and Cynopsis Sports, with nearly 150,000 subscribers in 53 countries.

Sitecore acquired the development team and the intellectual property of Pectora, a long-standing Sitecore technology partner that provides web publishing solutions for deep integration with print-based projects. According to Sitecore, the combined offering is designed to unify print and web design teams to deliver more dynamic and personalized print media, including brochures, catalogs, and magazines.

Ingram Content Group Inc. announced that Vital Source is expanding its e-textbook offering with the acquisition of VPG Integrated Media (VPG), a developer of enhanced e-textbook applications, interactive learning objects, and e-whiteboard content, as well as video, audio, and animation production services for educational publishers.

According to a report in the New York Observer, digital retail giant Amazon.com is coming under scrutiny by some in the publishing world for a system by which it offers extra promotion as an incentive for published authors to provide review blurbs for books on its Amazon Publishing imprint.

Consumer Watchdog filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission charging that a virtual currency system called Facebook Credits used to play games on Facebook's social network violates antitrust law. According to the organization, Facebook controls well over 50% of the $2 billion market for virtual goods in social gaming.

Cloud-based video creator Animoto closed a $25 million round of funding through the participation of Spectrum Equity Investors and Madrona Venture Group. Animoto's service is a free service, with subscription options, that lets users create slideshows of graphical content on a computer or a mobile phone. Subscription options unlock additional features, such as custom templates or the ability to produce longer videos.